Nature Coast Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System, subsidiary 573GG in Lecanto, Florida scheduled 1 pending appointments during the period ending June 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, one had a wait time of 30 days or less.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA's data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
573	Gainesville	41,401	38,048	3,353
573BY	Jacksonville	28,938	26,630	2,308
573GI	The Villages	18,549	17,837	712
573GF	Tallahassee	16,004	15,587	417
573A4	Lake City	11,360	10,482	878
573QG	Jacksonville Southpoint	11,218	10,785	433
573QJ	Jacksonville	9,324	8,811	513
573GD	Ocala	8,374	8,223	151
573GE	Saint Augustine	6,449	6,364	85
573QD	Gainesville	3,885	3,754	131
573GA	Valdosta	3,844	3,824	20
573QK	Lake City	3,306	3,283	23
573GJ	St. Marys	3,053	2,993	60
573GL	Palatka	2,770	2,758	12
573GM	Waycross	2,746	2,717	29
573QH	Ocala	2,743	2,653	90
573QE	Gainesville	2,612	2,565	47
573GK	Marianna	2,306	2,302	4
573QB	Gainesville 2-98th Street	473	434	39
573GN	Perry	423	423	0
573QC	Gainesville	318	79	239
573QA	Gainesville 1-16th Street	67	67	0
573QF	Gainesville	1	0	1
573GG	Lecanto	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration